1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to topography mapping of surface forces, and more particularly to a system, device and method for mapping a surface using magneto-resistance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, the optical detection technique is used for topography sensing at the nanometer scale, because of its high bandwidth and sub-nanometer resolution capability. However, such setups are expensive and bulky. The optical detection concept is not suitable for batch fabrication of large arrays of integrated sensors, which are required for parallel operation to provide high throughput in nano-scale probing systems, with applications in lithography, storage, and nano-fabrication.
Other sensing concepts, e.g., thermo-electric and piezo-resistive, provide a solution to this problem, as they can be fabricated in integrated form. However, all such known concepts suffer from either low bandwidth (thermo-electric) or low resolution (piezo-resistive) or both of the problems. Therefore, a new solution is needed that combines the advantages of optical sensing with the miniaturization and integration capability of the latter techniques.